Editing Copyrights of Republished and Translated Texts

''This page describes the Radical Buddhist Project's (RBP) internal editorial policy for assessing the copyright status of archived source texts and translations, and for responding to rights holder requests. It supplements the general [[Copyright Policy|Copyrights]] page, which sets out the site's default terms of use. It is not a formal legal process, and nothing on this page should be read as legal advice or as a legally binding assertion of rights by either the RBP or any claimant.''

=== Archival Text Vetting and Clearance ===
Before any original source text or secondary translation is published in our database, the editorial team carries out a good-faith review to assess its copyright status:
# '''Public Domain:''' Many materials digitized in this archive are older historical texts that have entered the public domain under applicable copyright terms. Where this can be confirmed, the page carries a Copyrights footer noting the text's public domain status; unlike the site's general terms of use, such texts may be freely copied and shared.
# '''Explicit Permission:''' Where a rights holder is identifiable and contactable, the editorial team reaches out directly to request permission to host the text, and, where granted, to allow its wider reproduction. Where such permission has been obtained, the page carries a Copyrights footer describing the scope of that permission; reproduction beyond the general terms of use is permitted only to the extent stated in that notice.

=== Orphan Works ===
Due to the turbulent political history of early- and mid-20th-century radical movements, state suppression, and the dissolution of historical publishing houses, the copyright status of some archived documents is difficult to determine. Where a text is of significant academic value but no rights holder can be identified or located despite good-faith effort, the RBP may archive it under what we internally call "orphan works" status, in order to prevent the permanent loss of historical material. This is a descriptive term we use for our own editorial purposes; it is not a claim under any particular country's orphan-works legislation. Orphan-works texts remain subject to the site's general terms of use (quotation only, no wider redistribution) set out on the [[Copyright Policy|Copyrights]] page, and carry a Copyrights footer explaining this status and how rights holders may get in touch.

=== Rights Holder Requests ===
If you are the legal copyright holder of any document or translation hosted in this archive, and you object to its inclusion, or wish to correct its licensing attribution, you may request its removal or correction.

Please contact the Managing Editor at '''[t.b.a.]'''. You're welcome to write in any language — we use machine translation to review non-English requests, and will respond in your language where possible. Your request should include:
* Your name and contact details.
* The URL(s) of the page(s) containing the material in question.
* A description of your copyright ownership or authorization to act on the rights holder's behalf.

'''What happens next:''' We aim to review requests promptly, though as a small volunteer-run project we cannot guarantee a fixed response time. Where it appears likely that the claimant holds the copyright, the material will be taken down. If a text is later shown to have entered the public domain, or if a takedown is later found to have been based on an unfounded claim, it will be restored.

[[category:Copyright Policy]]
[[category:Project]]